


Driving Is the Secret of the Universe

by Jennifer-Oksana (JenniferOksana)



Category: Eureka
Genre: Coming Out, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 15:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5790985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenniferOksana/pseuds/Jennifer-Oksana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoe gets a driving lesson and makes a small confession.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Driving Is the Secret of the Universe

Zoe tells her about Angela Fairfield in hushed tones, and Jo takes matters into her own hands with that deadly-cold Jo coolness that only sometimes works with her dad. Zoe doesn’t even know what Jo says or does, but three or four days after Zoe tells Jo, Jo hands Zoe a set of keys, not looking up from her Teen Cosmo and says, “Your dad says I can teach you how to drive.”

“Really?” Zoe says. “I mean, I’m glad because it’d be traumatic for Dad to do it, but you know Dad.”

“We have a special training car, and you’re not allowed to go more than 40 for the first ten days,” Jo replies. “Also, we’ve modified S.A.R.A.H. so she can observe your lessons and report back to Carter.”

Zoe’s nose wrinkles. “Overprotective much?” she gripes.

“Hey, better than never learning to drive, I say,” Jo replies. “Oh, seriously, who would buy that orange Prada bag?”

“I know, right?” Zoe replies. “It looks like fake puke.”

“Am I interrupting fashion time?” her dad inquires dryly, walking in with a coffee that smells like heaven that Zoe focuses on with a little whimper. Jo stiffens and sticks the magazine back in her drawer with a snap.

“No. Not at all. Not even a little,” Jo says. “I was just telling Zoe the details of our teaching arrangement.”

Zoe’s dad makes this little noise that Zoe really hopes isn’t him reneging on the deal. “Right,” he says. “So help me God, Zoe, if you don’t listen to Deputy Lupo…”

“Oh, are you kidding? I’m totally her willing slave,” Zoe says, raising one hand and putting the other on her heart. “I won’t so much as breathe in the car if Jo says it’s not okay.”

Jo rolls her eyes. “Breathing is important to do when driving,” she says. “And blinking and all those other pesky autonomic functions.”

Zoe’s dad starts to pace, runs his hand over his forehead, and then grimaces. “Yeah, I…I can’t deal with this. I’m going to go see what the geniuses at Global are doing to the universe today,” he says. “Don’t do anything stupid. Either of you.”

He turns and walks, muttering to himself, and Zoe sighs. “Are all dads that freaky?” she asks Jo.

“Pretty much when it comes to their daughters dying,” Jo says. “Come on, let’s get started.”

* * *

 

The car is freaking amazing. Even if S.A.R.A.H. is loaded into the deck like a really annoying nanny and keeps interrupting Jo and Zoe whenever they discuss anything other than driving.

“Please keep your attention on the road, please,” S.A.R.A.H. repeats over and over.

“Check your rearview mirror. Good,” Jo says. “Now signal…click down, not up, you’re making a left…check over your shoulder a little…Zoe, more than that. How’s your blind spot?”

Zoe shivers. “I think I’m clear,” she says, turning the wheel and changing lanes.

“The recommended distance between you and the car behind you was eight inches longer,” S.A.R.A.H. says.

“Yeah, but the guy speeded up when he saw Zoe’s signal,” Jo says with a shrug. “Dick.”

“Do people really do that?” Zoe asks.

“All the time,” Jo replies. “Accelerate more, Zoe, you need to be going at least 25 on this street or you’ll get assholes riding you…”

S.A.R.A.H. makes a disapproving sound about Jo’s language, but actually, it’s relaxing Zoe. If Jo can act like a normal human and give Zoe tips, Zoe is probably not doing too bad at driving. Even if she accelerates too fast and goes like, 31 for two seconds.

Which makes a siren go off, which makes Zoe take her foot off the pedal.

“No. NO,” Jo says firmly. “Foot back on the pedal. S.A.R.A.H, damn it, you can NOT beep like that when I’m teaching, she doesn’t know how to do a smooth acceleration yet.”

Zoe’s heart is going really fast, but she’s got the car up to 22 (the dashboard tells her exactly how fast she’s going, which sucks), and she can breathe again.

“OK, you’re going to do another left at the light, so what do you need to do?”

Zoe thinks. “Um. Check my mirrors, turn on my blinker when I see a good spot, check my blind spot, and change lanes?”

“That’s good,” Jo says with a nod, “though with a left turn light, it’s a little easier because the lane opens up, so just click the blinker, quick check, and change lanes — now.”

Zoe, mouth dry, does what Jo says, and without being prompted, breaks. And not even a jerky break, either.

“Good job. Inch up a little, you can go to the line,” Jo says with a smile.

Zoe dares to take her eyes off the road for five seconds to look at Jo and smile back. “I’m getting a little freaked,” she admits. “Can we take a break soon?”

“Sure,” Jo agrees. “I know a good place. We can even practice backing up there.”

* * *

 

“Do you like to drive?” Zoe asks, lying on the hood of her super-car in a field, watching dragonflies buzz and stars shine, her knee bumping into Jo’s a little.

“It’s all right, I guess,” Jo says in her Jo-way. “I mean, I grew up in Brooklyn. Didn’t really drive until I joined up. The guys in my platoon showed me, took me out so they could do some serious drinking.”

“Right,” Zoe said. “I like it, I think. I keep thinking, once I have my license, I can go anywhere. See anything. I think that’s cool, don’t you think?”

“Where would you go?” Jo asks.

“I don’t know. That’s part of what makes it cool,” Zoe says, feeling a little unhappy with her answer. She should want to go somewhere. “I mean, it’s not like I want to leave Eureka. I love it here. I just, I don’t know, want something exciting to happen. Something different.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Jo says with a sudden weird tone in her voice. “You don’t know what something different could be.”

Zoe tilts her head. “Jo?” she asks. “What do you mean?”

“I keep trying to like these guys, right?” Jo says, her voice suddenly less Jo-like and more upset. “Taggart, Fargo…and it’s like, I’m using their _last names_. You don’t call your guy by his last name. I keep thinking it’s something I’m supposed to do. Like guys. And…meh. I mean, I like guys. As people. And stuff.”

“So you don’t want to make hot monkey love with Fargo?” Zoe asks.

Jo thwaps her on the shoulder. “I don’t want to make hot monkey love ever,” she says. “Ew.”

“Maybe if you think sex is ew, you’re doing it wrong,” Zoe says. “I have a secret. You can’t tell my dad.”

“Oh, God, you know he’ll break me like one of Vincent’s biscottis,” Jo says, shaking her head. “What is it? Did you steal something? Did you make out with Nathan Stark?”

“NO,” Zoe says. “The last guy I made out with was Raynes. Because I’m really not that into guys. I might be, well, I don’t like labels.”

Jo chokes. No, really, she starts coughing and can’t stop and Zoe finally has to hit her on the back because Jo is coughing that hard. Which is about how she expects her dad will react, so this is good practice and stuff.

“You’re _gay_?” Jo says in this tiny, wheezy voice.

“Maybe. Maybe gay, maybe bi, maybe pansexual, I don’t know,” Zoe says plaintively. “My dad is going to have a heart attack. Literally. I mean, you’re choking on your own surprise, so my dad is gonna…I’m so screwed.”

“Pansexual, huh? We didn’t really have that option when I was sixteen,” Jo says, clearly trying to breathe and calm down. “Does it mean what it sounds like?”

“I think so,” Zoe says. “I read about it on the internet…on a GOOD site, not a porn site, so don’t look at me like that. Like, Facts About Teens and Sex from Columbia or something. Like Eureka would neglect sex ed. All the geniuses need to breed, right?”

“Right,” Jo says, making a face. “So, you like girls, probably more than boys. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yeah, that sounds right,” Zoe says. She looks up at the stars and breathes in and out slowly. Her first attempt at coming out to anyone besides Beverly and wow, it’s going to suck doing this a lot. “Can we drive home now?”

“Okay,” Jo says. She doesn’t look at Zoe and Zoe doesn’t look at her as they slide into the car and S.A.R.A.H. informs them that Sheriff Carter is very worried and wants them to get in contact immediately.

And that’s how Zoe’s first driving lesson ends. Awkwardly.


End file.
